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Case 1:10-cv-02730-WHP Document 1

Filed 03/26/10 Page 1 of 8

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

- - - - - - - - -- - - -- - - - - -- - - - -- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - -AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE,

Civil Action:
Plaintiff,
v.

DANIEL MOREL
Defendant.
----------------------------------------- X

COMPLAINT

Plaintiff AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, for its complaint against defendant

DANIEL MOREL alleges:

PARTIES
1. Plaintiff AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE ("AFP") is a French entity, with its
principal place of business in North America at 1 0 15 15th Street, NW, Suite 500,
Washington, D.C. 20005 and a place of

business in this District at 747 Third Avenue,

Floor 35, New York, New York 10017. AFP is an international wire service that
provides text, photographs, videos and graphics to customers on a worldwide basis.
2. Upon information and belief, Defendant DANIEL MOREL ("Mr. Morel") is an

individual residing in Haiti who conducts business in this district as a photojournalist and copyright licensor and who has committed tortious acts in this district.

NATURE OF THE ACTION

3. This is an action seeking the Court's declaration that AFP has not infringed upon

Mr. Morel's copyrights. This is also an action against Mr. Morel for commercial
disparagement.

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4. Mr. Morel maintains that AFP has infringed upon his copyrights in several

photographs. Mr. Morel has hired an attorney in New York City named Barbara
Hoffman. On behalf of Mr. Morel, Ms. Hoffman has sent numerous correspondence to

AFP alleging copyright infringement and demanding exorbitant payment. On behalf of

Mr. Morel, Ms. Hoffman has also sent correspondence to numerous third paries,
including AFP's customers, alleging copyright infringement and disparaging AFP.
5. AFP maintains that Mr. Morel provided a nonexclusive license to use his

photographs when he posted them on a social networking and blogging website known as
Twitter without any limitation on the use, copying or distribution of

the photographs.

AFP and its customers or affiliates, relied on this license and their respective uses did not
constitute copyright infringement.

6. Mr. Morel has made demands that amount to an antagonistic assertion of rights.
As a result of the paries' conflcting positions, an actual and justiciable controversy

exists over the parties' respective rights and obligations. This controversy can be fully
resolved by way of a declaratory judgment pursuant to the Declaratory Judgment Act, 28
U.S.c. 2201(a).

JURISDICTION AND VENUE

7. An actual and justiciable controversy exists between Plaintiff and Defendant

concerning the non-infringement of

Defendant's copyrights by AFP and its customers by

virtue of Defendant's allegation of infringement against Plaintiff. Accordingly, subject

matter jurisdiction for this declaratory action is proper in this Court under 28 U.S.C.

1331, 1338,2201 and 2202.

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8. This Court has supplemental jurisdiction over any related state law claims

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1367.

9. This Court has personal jurisdiction over Defendant under subsections (a)(l) and

(a)(2) of

the New York long-arm statute (CPLR 302) because upon information and

belief, Defendant has transacted business in this State and in this District, including attempting to license his copyrights, and has committed tortious acts within this State and

District. Defendant, through his attorney Ms. Hofmann (who is based in New York
City), has solicited business in New York by repeatedly offering to license Defendant's

photographs. Defendant, through his attorney Ms. Hofmann, has sent numerous
correspondence to Plaintiffs customers asserting that Plaintiff

has infringed Defendant's

copyrights and has engaged in unscrupulous business practices. That correspondence

constitutes commercial defamation per se against Plaintiff. By virtue of

these dealings in

the State of

New York, and this District, Defendant is subject to the personal jurisdiction

of

this Court under CPLR 302(a)(l) and (2).

10. Venue is proper in this district pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1391 because a substantial
part of

the events giving rise to the claims asserted occurred in this District and because

Defendant is subject to jurisdiction in this district. The activities in this judicial district
make it fair and reasonable for it to be sued in this judicial district.
COUNT I

DECLARA TORY JUDGMENT OF NON-INFRINGEMENT AND LICENSE

11. AFP repeats and realleges the previous paragraphs set forth herein.
12. Mr. Morel posted several photographs on Twitter in full resolution and with no
limitation on their use.

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13. By using Twitter, Mr. Morel expressly agreed to and is subject to, the Terms of
Service established by Twitter.
14. Pursuant to the Twitter Terms of Service, by posting his photographs on Twitter,

Mr. Morel granted Twitter a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license, with the

right to sub-license others, to use, copy, publish, display and distribute those

photographs. The Twitter Terms of Service make clear that Twitter encourages and
permits broad re-use of content that is posted on Twitter, which it is permitted to do

under its Terms of Service and license rights. Such broad re-use is evidenced everyday in
the media where Twitter posts are copied, reprinted, quoted, and republished by third
parties.
15. Upon information and belief, users of Twitter intend for their po

stings ("Tweets")

to be publicly available and to be broadly distributed through the internet and other

media. Indeed, upon information and belief, most users of Twitter use its services in
order to broadly disseminate the material that they post.
16. When Mr. Morel posted his photographs on Twitter, he made no notation that he

was in any way limiting the license granted to Twitter or third parties or that he was in any way limiting the ability of Twitter and third parties to use, distribute, or republish his

photographs. Thus, a third party would reasonably assume that based on the Twitter
Terms of Service and typical use, by posting his photographs on Twitter, Mr. Morel was

granting the requisite license to Twitter and third parties to use, copy, publish, display
and distribute those photographs.

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17. APP published Mr. Morel's photographs in good faith with the understanding that

by posting them on Twitter, he had granted the requisite license to third parties to use,
copy, publish, display and distribute those photographs.
18. Even though it believes it acted under an appropriate license, when APP was

contacted by Mr. Morel's attorney indicating that he believed the publication of the photographs was a copyright infringement, APP again acted in good faith to cease
publication and distribution of

the photographs and notified its subscribers that the

photographs should not be published or distributed.

19. Nonetheless, Mr. Morel, through his attorney, maintains that APP has infringed

upon his copyrights in the photographs he posted on Twitter. Mr. Morel has made
unreasonable demands that amount to an antagonistic assertion of rights.
20. In light of the parties' conflicting positions, an actual and justiciable controversy

exists over the parties' respective rights and obligations.

2 i . Without a prompt determination of whether APP has a license pursuant to

Defendant's posting of

his copyrighted photographs to the Twitter service, which APP

contends provides a nonexclusive license to use and distribute such photographs, APP cannot know with any certainty whether it is exposing itself to liability if it does not agree
to Defendant's demands.

22. A declaratory judgment in this case would serve a useful purpose in clarifying and
settling the respective legal rights and obligations of

the parties, and it wil terminate and

afford relief from the uncertainty, insecurity, and controversy giving rise to this

proceeding, and Plaintiff requests the Court enter an Order of non-infringement for
Plaintiff.

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23. Plaintiff is also entitled to recover its attorneys' fees in pursuing this declaration
of non-infringement.

COUNT II

COMMERCIAL DEFAMATION
24. AFP repeats and realleges the previous paragraphs set forth herein.
25. Defendant, through his attorney Ms. Hofmann, has sent correspondence to third

parties throughout the country, including in this District, and including Plaintiffs
customers.
26. The correspondence sent on behalf of Defendant has made statements of fact

concerning Plaintiff and Plaintiffs business that are false and defamatory of

the

Plaintiffs business reputation and practices.

27. Specifically, Defendant has made the statement to numerous third parties,

including AFP's subscribers, that AFP is infringing upon Mr. Morel's photographs and that AFP did not have a license to distribute Mr. Morel's photographs.
28. The statement that AFP acted without a license and infringed Mr. Morel's

copyrights is false because, as explained above, Mr. Morel did provide a non-exclusive
license, through Twitter, to third parties, including AFP and its subscribers.
29. Defendant, through his attorney, has made these statements to numerous third

parties with knowledge that they were false or with reckless disregard of whether they
were false.
30. Plaintiffs counsel pointed out the Twitter terms of service to Defendant's

counsel, but, upon information and belief, Defendant's counsel, on behalf of Defendant,
has continued to make the false statements.

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31. These false and disparaging statements are defamation per se because they reflect
on Plaintiff s business reputation and business practices.
32. Furthermore, these false and disparaging statements have caused damage to

Plaintiffs business reputation and its customer relationships. In addition to damaging

Plaintiffs reputation, Plaintiffs customers have understandably requested

indemnification, which wil result in direct monetary damage to Plaintiff in defense costs.
33. Plaintiff

is entitled to an injunction and nominal, special, general compensatory

and punitive damages to be determined at triaL.

PRAYER FOR RELIEF

WHERFORE, Agence France Presse demands judgment in its favor against Mr. Morel
for the following relief:
(1) An Order of Judgment that Plaintiff

has not infringed upon Mr.

Morel's copyrights;
(2) An order enjoining Defendant from making false and disparaging

statements about Plaintiff;

(3) An award of monetary damages against Defendant in an amount to

be determined;
(4) Attorney's fees incurred in the enforcement of

this action in an

amount to be determined at the conclusion of the matter;

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l. (~ Case 1:10-cv-02730-WHP Document 1

Filed 03/26/10 Page 8 of 8

(5) Pre and post-judgment interest; and

(6) Such other relief as the Court may deem just and proper.

Dated: New York, New York March 26, 2010

Joshua 1. Kau man Meaghan H. Kent (Pro Hac Vice to be fied) Venable LLP 575 ih Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20004-1601 Telephone: (202) 344-4000 Fax: (202) 344-8300 jj kaufman(ivenab Ie. com mhkent(ivenable.com
- and-

~~

Brendan 1. LeMoult Venable LLP Rockefeller Center

1270 Avenue of the Americas, 25th Floor

New York, New York 10020 Telephone: (212) 307-5500 Fax: (212) 307-5598
blemoul t(ivenab le.com

Attorneys for Plaintif